Union R-XI School District

This week we recognize our amazing school counselors who go above and beyond for our students each and every day. Thank you, school counselors! You all are amazing.

#Uproud

Due to inclement weather and unsafe road conditions, all #unionrxi schools are closed on Tuesday, 1/27/26.

Be safe and #Uproud!

Due to inclement weather and unsafe road conditions, all #unionrxi schools are closed on Monday, 1/26/26.

Be safe and #Uproud!

We are looking for an innovative and dynamic principal at Prairie Dell Elementary for the 26/27 school year.

Learn more and apply here: https://unionrxi.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=820

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Last night at our regularly scheduled January Board of Education meeting, the Board approved the hiring of Mr. Ryan Klein as the 26/27 Assistant Superintendent of Operations. Mr. Klein is currently the principal at Prairie Dell Elementary. Prior to his position at PDE, Mr. Klein was the assistant principal at Central Elementary. Before coming to Union, Mr. Klein served in a variety of roles in Iowa. This includes: elementary principal, middle and high school assistant principal and high school special education teacher.

Mr. Klein earned his specialist degree from Northwest Missouri State and is expected to complete his doctoral degree in 2027 from William Woods University. Mr. Klein resides in Washington with his wife, Andrea, and their three children.

This is what Mr. Klein had to say about serving our community in a new capacity:

“Though I’ve only been in Union for five years, I view the Union R-XI School District as my home. And I honestly couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to continue working in the district I love. Of course, I am sad to be leaving all the amazing staff and students at Prairie Dell Elementary, but I look forward to helping them in a slightly different way moving forward. We have an outstanding district with the best staff, students and parents, and I’m honored to be part of it all.”

Mr. Klein is filling the vacancy of Dr. Dan Kania who was recently appointed as our 26/27 district superintendent.

Please take a moment to congratulate Mr. Klein!

#Uproud

This week we are excited to have Emma Teems, 3rd grade teacher at Prairie Dell Elementary, as our Wildcat of the Week.

Emma, thank you so much for taking the time to share a little information about yourself!

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Friendly reminder... there's no school next Monday, 1/19/26 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Have a great rest of your week, #unionrxi!

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This week we are excited to have Rob Jackson, PE/Health/ISS teacher at Union Middle School, as our Wildcat of the Week.

Rob, thank you so much for taking the time to share a little information about yourself!

#Uproud

We hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing break. We look forward to seeing all our students back at school on Monday, 1/5/26.

Thank you and #Uproud!

*Food Service Update*

Effective Monday, January 5, we unfortunately will no longer be able to offer free breakfast. This is a result of SNAP benefits being reinstated which were temporarily paused during the government shutdown.

If you have any questions about our food service program, please don't hesitate to reach out once our offices open back up on Friday, January 2. We can be reached at: 636.583.8626

Thank you and #Uproud

This week we are excited to have Christy Bodnar, Spanish teacher at Union High School, as our Wildcat of the Week.

Christy, thank you for taking the time to share a little information about yourself.

This week we are excited to have Shannon Smith, 5th grade teacher at Central Elementary, as our Wildcat of the Week.

Shannon, thank you for taking a little time to share some information about yourself!

#Uproud

Due to unsafe road conditions in parts of our school district, #unionrxi will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday 12/2/25.

Be safe and #Uproud

Dear #unionrxi parents/guardians:

Temperatures are falling and with that comes wintery weather. The Union R-XI School District recognizes the challenges that result from school being canceled due to inclement weather. As such, we want to share some information to keep you informed about our district's procedures for school closings and delays due to weather.

In the case of inclement weather:

1). The district administration will make a decision as soon as we can. In general, school officials will not cancel school based on a forecast. However, there are occasional instances where decisions could be made when inclement weather appears to be inevitable.

2). When possible, the decision to cancel school may be made the night before, usually by 9:00 pm. However, in most situations, a decision isn’t made until the following morning. An early morning decision is typically made by 5:00 a.m. A decision to cancel school will be shared in the following ways: automated phone call, email, text, notification through our mobile app, district social media sites, and local news television stations.

3). In the event we need to have an early dismissal once students have already arrived at school, we will use the same communication means as listed above.

4). In order to receive the above listed communications, you’ll need to ensure your Infinite Campus Parent Portal has been updated in addition to opting into receiving district text messages. If you have questions about updating your Parent Portal, please contact your child’s school.

As we look ahead, we ask that all parents/guardians:

1). Create a plan for unexpected school closures and share the plan with your student. School cancellations due to weather are unavoidable and will happen at some point.

2). Please watch our district website, mobile app, and social media pages for information related to school closures. We will post periodic updates about the decision making process. We will not respond to questions submitted on social media asking if we plan to have school.

3). Recognize that snow itself rarely closes school. Snow in the forecast is not our primary concern. Rather, safety, visibility, road conditions, ice build-up, and the status of plowing are more important issues to consider. In addition, the capability of our staff to safely travel to school and for our custodial/maintenance departments to clear sidewalks and parking lots have a large impact on our ability to have school.

As always, the highest priority for our district is the safety of our students and staff, for whom we will always err on the side of caution. We appreciate your understanding as we focus on doing what’s best for both our students and staff.

Thank you and #Uproud!

Union High School is seeking a relationship-driven and team-oriented assistant principal for the 26/27 school year.

Learn more and apply here: https://unionrxi.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=814

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Today we recognize all our amazing substitute teachers. These team members help our district out when we are most in need. Thank you to each of you for all you do for our students and district!

If you're interested in joining our team as a substitute teacher, learn more and apply here: https://unionrxi.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=629

#Uproud